Everyone makes mistakes, but they are minimized with good advance planning. It’s true on the golf course and in business.
-By Vincent Pane

Look across the golf course, and what is the first thought? It is likely that a set of good shots is all that is needed to manage the course. Who needs a strategy when the swing and putt have been perfected?

That kind of thinking on the golf course, or in business for that matter, can easily lead to over-confidence and lack of planning. Golfers need to develop course management skills in order to make the right choices as the game progresses. Business people can follow the prepared golfer’s lead by assessing the business landscape and developing the skills to respond to whatever unfolds as time goes by.

Course management in golf is a strategy for lowering scores. It refers to the decisions made as the golfer moves around the golf course. It goes beyond developing shot mechanics and body stance because each game of golf is different. A perfect swing is not necessarily going to get ideal results unless the golfer adapts the swing and club choices to the course conditions, chooses the right line, recognizes strengths and weaknesses, and can adapt based on results.

Think of golf in terms of the business landscape. Corporate managers and entrepreneurs must make decisions that take into account the marketplace conditions (the green), trends (course flags), and business strengths and weaknesses (handicap). Leaders who manage the business landscape will assess the risks and opportunities before implementing initiatives, projects or programs, and prepare for contingencies should market conditions suddenly change or the results of decisions do not meet expectations.

How does a golfer manage a course? First, it is important to understand that course flags offer clues to success. For example, the red flag indicates a water hazard or the placement of a hole toward the front of the green. The flag offers guidance as to the type of club needed or the distance the ball needs to go. However, flags are course dependent, meaning the course played determines the response to the flag.

The business landscape “flags” are visual markets that let organizational leaders know where and how to aim efforts. Red business flags represent high risks but also the most direct path to the goal. A business red flag might be short-term trends, for example, that demand short-term objectives – a get-in and get-out strategy for new products and services or entering new market segments. Blue or yellow flags signal that decisions should focus on long-term goals, and a green flag designates aiming for the middle.

The flags guide golfers and businesses as they decide which shots to take. A golfer who is unfamiliar with the distance a club carries the golf ball will rely on single shots to win the game. Golf games, like business initiatives and programs, are won through an accumulation of good decision-making.

Though every shot should aim for the flag, the club selected to play the hole needs to reflect the end goal. The business that relies on one-decision wonders is not building sustainability. There are many examples in business history, and the number one reason products fail is due to lack of preparation. A golfer can focus on swing and stance, and still miss the hole because the course landscape is ignored. A business can focus on designing, manufacturing and marketing a product without planning for unexpected growth, consumer rejection or changing market conditions.

Businesses that rely on their best past shot averages for success are not necessarily going to succeed, any more than golfers are likely to succeed. Where is there room for slight misses? How far does planning carry? What happens when gaps appear? What if the distances are not made with reliable shots?

It is impractical to swing without understanding the landscape, in golf or business. One of the misconceptions in both golf and business is that strengths can carry a person or business through any conditions, and there are many failed businesses to prove otherwise.

Good planning includes never making a bad shot twice. If a wrong decision is made, and the result is poor results, the agile manager is prepared to change strategies to achieve goals rather than hitting a second bad shot. When a golfer’s swing puts the ball in the trees, does she try to slice through a small gap to hit the green? That is likely going to be a second bad decision. Instead, the golfer should change the approach and aim for the fairway through a larger gap in order to get back on track for the rest of the game.

Like golfers, business leaders sometimes need to aim for the path that matches their capabilities and skills in order to increase the chances for success. When Eastman Kodak developed the first digital camera and cell phone core technology, management decided to protect the film business and did not introduce its advanced technology to the market. Despite a 90 percent share of the U.S. film market, the company was trying to hit shots through a narrowing gap. The better decision would have been to aim for the wide market fairway and then aim for the correct green, landing new business with precision strokes. One bad shot (keeping new technology under wraps) eventually brought about the failure of the iconic film company through a series of following bad shots, like selling patents. The whole round of effort was ruined.

On the golf course or in the business world, it is important to know strengths and weaknesses. The knowledge offers guidance for managing the course. The golfer knows the club that delivers the best results the most often, recognizes opportunities in the teeing ground, avoids over-swinging, and will readily cut losses. Good course management means always choosing the shots that will leave the golfer in a better spot.

Leaders who manage the business landscape in the same manner will discover that series of shots leads to financial success.